Canada: Maple Syrup & Canadian Bacon

You‘re guaranteed to see a maple in Canada - whether on its flag or one of many leafy trees along its southern border. And during the winter thaw, these trees can be tapped for their sugary sap - boiled down and refined - then turned into sweet, sweet maple syrup.

Fresh maple syrup is unparalleled. There’s just no comparison with its mass produced corn syrup competitors - especially with breakfast foods. Nothing better than maple syrup on some pancakes.

You will undoubtedly find maple syrup throughout Canada. And not always in ways you expect: try some maple sugar candies, maple-flavored meats, maple syrup ice cream, even maple syrup lemonade!

I don’t personally love the concentrated maple sugar candy cubes (often in the shape of maple leaves or moose) but I have enjoyed some maple syrup in my ice cream or lemonade on a warm summer day.

Peameal Bacon or as the rest of the world knows it as, Canadian Bacon: are thin circular strips of pork loin (unlike the American bacon from a pig’s belly). The traditional Toronto pea meal bacon has also been brined and rolled in cornmeal. Carousel Bakery in St. Lawerence Market, Toronto is the home of the “World Famous Peameal Bacon Sandwich”. But Canadian bacon can also be eaten as a side dish to pancakes (with plenty of syrup, of course), on breakfast sandwiches, or on its own. It may be my American origins but I still prefer my bacon south of the border.

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Find some more places to see, food to eat, and books to read if you’re visiting Canada!

Or check out these photos of the true north, strong and free for yourself!